Editing clips to the timeline allows you to stack video vertically to create composite effects and transitions. You can also create audio mixes where similar types of audio are grouped together by track. You can conform to an offline version as well as load clips to and from other Visual Effects and Finishing products with all edits and effects preserved. Editing clips to a BFX timeline allows you to perform these tasks while continuing to work in a procedural environment.

There are several ways to edit clips to the timeline. You can perform insert edits where the timeline changes length to accommodate new material. You can overwrite existing material with new material such that the timeline duration does not change. You can edit entire clips as well as specific frames to any location on the timeline.

For some edits, you can be in a view other than Record Timeline view when working from the EditDesk, but your results will still appear in the affected clip's timeline. Edits that involve multiple layers or tracks can only be done in Record Timeline view.

You can edit clips to the timeline gesturally, using hotkeys, or using Player buttons. When you use hotkeys, the Ripple mode is implicit in the editing function. For example, the timeline always ripples with the insert hotkey (G) and never ripples with the override hotkey (H) regardless of the status of the Ripple mode button.

When you edit using the Player buttons, you must be in Src/Rec (Source/Record) view.

When you edit gesturally, note the following:

• When dragging clips to the Record Area, the edit cursors appear only in Storyboard and Collapsed view.
• The Ripple mode determines whether gestural edits are performed as inserts (Ripple button is enabled) or as overwrites (Ripple button is disabled).
• The edit cursors are green when Ripple is disabled and red when Ripple is enabled.
• Edits that involve using in and out points such as three-point and four-point edits cannot be done with gestural editing.
• Patch panel settings are not observed when dragging to the timeline.
• You must use Snap options to align gestural edits on the timeline.

Each clip brought into a BFX level has an associated timeline. You build a sequence by adding clips in the schematic to another clip's timeline. To build an edit sequence using hotkeys, you first set a record clip and then a source clip. When you make changes to the timeline of a BFX clip, an [E] appears after the clip name in the schematic, indicating it is edited.

Most of the illustrations in this chapter are of the EditDesk record timeline. There may be some differences with those of a BFX timeline.